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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775418">The Scope of Her View</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eissel/pseuds/Eissel'>Eissel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Complicated Relationships, Gen, Ishval Civil War, Minor Original Character(s), Snipers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:37:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>755</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eissel/pseuds/Eissel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In her sniper’s nest at what feels like the top of the world, Riza makes a choice.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Riza Hawkeye &amp; Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Scope of Her View</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>October 2nd Prompt - "Pick Who Dies"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“The best way to die in Ishval is by a sniper’s bullet.” It’s an adage passed around by soldiers returning from their first tour to the cadets who are preparing to take their place. Before heading out, Riza hadn’t put much stock into it, after all, dying was dying, whether that be by bullet or knife or even alchemy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But as she spends day after day out in the endless desert expanse, she realizes that the soldiers were right. A sniper’s bullet is quite likely the best way to die, though it comes with a caveat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The best way to die in Ishval, is by bullet of an experienced sniper. The worst way to die in Ishval is by the bullet of an inexperienced sniper.” That remark was said offhandedly by her Lieutenant when their unit had met back up on base for new orders. After two weeks out there, with the sun beating down on her back in the day and the cold winds chilling her in the night, she understands the veracity of the statement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>On her first day, Riza killed a man. She isn't sure if they had been Aerugonian or Ishvalan, the scope is too bad to tell her that, but she knows she landed a killing shot because the small figure in her scope simply ceases all movement and topples over.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>When she reports back, she’s congratulated, praised even.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kept that poor bastard, whoever he was, out of the battles.” Her superior, Axel Bleriot says. Riza doesn’t view it as such, but she takes the praise anyways, because, as much as she is ashamed to admit it, she does enjoy being praised.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>By contrast, her classmate, Scott Ponnier is practically ignored, if not outright berated for his performance out in the field. Riza doesn’t know the details, but she knows that Ponnier had panicked as he took the shot, and had accidentally shot a friendly. Worse still, the bullet wound had been fatal, but the placement had been just off enough that the man that had been shot had to slowly die out in the desert. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ponnier confessed to her (and why he had chosen her, Riza couldn’t say. Maybe he thought that telling her, the so-called ‘Best’ in their unit would force her to try and help him. Maybe he just wanted to talk to a familiar face) that he had thrown up when he had gotten back to base and saw the body of the soldier he had shot.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t even know how I knew, but I saw that wound, that ugly exit wound, and I knew I had done that.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riza isn’t sent out to the front lines much anymore, they want her in the back, as an attaché to the Companies the Alchemists are leading. It’s just her luck really that the Brass has decided that both their top killing machines deserve each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So she makes her way, just as she does every day, up into the broken old tower, watching for movement. In the corner of her eye, she sees two figures, in Amestrian white and blue ascend a building.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Watching through her scope (an actually decent one this time), Riza notices that one of the figures in particular seems so </span>
  <em>
    <span>familiar</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(She doesn’t know why she pretends. Ever since she saw the title </span>
  <em>
    <span>Flame Alchemist</span>
  </em>
  <span> on her marching orders she knew she would see him again.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they climb higher they become more visible, and Riza notices that there is some slight movement behind them as they talk. Likely an Ishvalan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Riza makes to aim, she hesitates.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she starts to correct course, fixing a certain alchemist’s head in her sight. She could do it, she could kill him right here and now, damn the consequences.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her finger rests on the trigger lightly, like a reminder that she had the choice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then everything explodes into motion and Riza is left with the choice of “who must die.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Riza picks her target, pulls the trigger, and listens for the impact. Not that her “pick” was a surprise. Even now, even those she loathes what he’s done, she knows that she couldn’t have made any other choice, in this world or the next.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Through the scope, she watches as black eyes widen, finally realizing who was the sniper who had saved him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(Riza isn’t quite sure that she made the right choice, but it is what it is.) She retracts her gun and packs up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She has a certain alchemist to meet.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>OC's names come from the Bleriot XI and the Ponnier L.1 aircraft of WWI respectively. In addition to both being aircraft, both are also French in origin.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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